Media and Communication News Detail

Communication/Journalism students Amanda Whalen ’14 and Matthew Ulakovich ’14 received the Department’s Jack Palvino Excellence in Communications Award on April 18, during the Jack Palvino Excellence in Communications Awards Gala at Monroe Golf Club.

The award, a one-time grant, is given to a C/J student in his/her first, second, or third year in the major. Each winner will receive $2,450.

Whalen is a native of Rochester and is interested in pursuing a career in video production, focusing primarily on post-production. As a student in the C/J program, she has completed a variety of video projects as a production coordinator, writer, and actress. She is currently working with her classmates in the Advanced Video Production course on a short film titled, “Endgame,” which will premiere on campus April 30. The students in the course concepted the pharmaceutical thriller, and each played a part in the making of the film. Whalen was one of the writers, and also played one of the lead roles in the film. She is currently pursuing internship opportunities in New York City for the summer and will also be graduating early in December.

Ulakovich transferred to Fisher from Monroe Community College (MCC) this year, and hopes to pursue a career in the communications industry, in particular marketing or public relations. He is active in the communications realm throughout the Rochester community, volunteering as a public and media relations committee chair of the Hilton Apple Fest for the past few years. In addition, he has served as a public relations and marketing intern at the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, which led to his job as Advertising Sales Director. While he was a student at MCC, he served as the Managing Editor of the Monroe Doctrine student newspaper.

Palvino is a member of the College’s first graduating class, the Pioneer Class of 1955, and was one of Rochester’s best-known media figures. He had a legendary 40-year career in broadcasting, and was one of the area’s dominant radio personalities from 1958-1978. In 1978, he and his partner, Albert “Bud” Wertheimer, formed the Lincoln Group and purchased WVOR radio. The group grew to include WHAM, WHTK, WPXY, and WHRR in Rochester; WBUF in Buffalo; and WQKX and WSOM in Youngstown, Ohio. The group was sold in 1997 to American Radio Systems, now CBS.

Palvino is officially retired, but remains active in Fisher’s C/J Department. In 1999, the College honored Palvino for his contributions to the College by creating the Jack Palvino Communication/Journalism Hall of Fame. He has been a trustee of the College since 1985, and was the first alumnus to be voted Chairman of the Board of Trustees (1992-1995). On Sunday, April 28, he will be inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.

Amanda Whalen and her father, Mark Whalen, on the red carpet at the Jack Palvino Excellence in Communications Awards Gala.